tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64998962018-02-19T02:51:36.758-05:00Organic LearningOrganic Learning is a space for us to record and muse upon our adventures as an unschooling family.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-57090764892610060222010-07-27T07:22:00.003-05:002010-07-27T07:48:29.734-05:00I am THAT mom...You know, the kind that makes conventional neighbors want to put up a fence so their kids can't see how much fun we're having at 9pm on a school night... doing shoulderstands with each other and looking like carny folk.<br /><br />I'm that mom who cut my hair off and dyed my bangs green just like my daughters because we all thought it was fun.<br /><br />I'm that mom who knows how to make delicious food from scratch and grow beautiful, nutritious food that everyone loves. I'm that mom who doesn't always have the energy to do that anymore but who finds the time to nourish one child's desire to learn to do it for herself.<br /><br />I'm that mom who always takes my children seriously as the fully-formed people they are and encourages exploration of their own life paths even when they differ from my own. I'm that mom who always views my children with eyes of amazement and wonder at the people they are and the people they are becoming.<br /><br />I'm that mom who no longer has small, dependent children and is grateful for this next phase of our lives that allows me more time and space to explore who I am and who I'm growing into.<br /><br />I'm that mom who dances like a crazy fool to the Black Eyed Peas even though I don't like their music all that much.<br /><br />I'm that mom who will go rock climbing, kayaking and surfing with her kids even though I'm old and not that great at it. And I'm that mom who will free climb half way up a rock when a child gets scared to talk them down and reassure them even though I'm afraid of heights.<br /><br />I'm that mom who follows her passions fully and freely and invites her children along for the ride.<br /><br />I'm that mom who's learning to play a musical instrument for the first time in her life and loving the passion for music my kids are developing alongside me. I'm that mom who buys her kids a ukulele and a djembe and a keyboard so we can make crazy mishmosh music together without harping on them to practice.<br /><br />I'm that mom who plays World of Warcraft and runs dungeons with her kids and enthusiastically shows them her new drake mount and lets them fly it all around. I'm that mom who will spend her morning helping a child level up a character while they sleep soundly in their beds.<br /><br />I'm that mom who's cool and kinda crazy and will talk openly, honestly, and from the heart about anything and everything, admitting freely that I don't have all the answers but that I'll always have a whole lot of love and compassion.<br /><br />I'm that mom who always lets her kids play in her closet and dress up in her clothes.<br /><br />I'm that mom who no matter where we are or where we go will always give her children a sense of home and comfort in her hug. <br /><br />I'm exactly that mom I always said I'd be even when my own mother told me it would never happen and I'd know better once I had my own children.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-42022229553510701392010-02-07T18:15:00.003-05:002010-02-07T18:28:36.498-05:00Soooo much to catch up on!Gonna have to start doing a series of catch-up posts... kind of a photo documentary. I'll start with some great climbing photos from this fall:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUz-72VI/AAAAAAAABz8/gK-BK0UPYpI/s1600-h/IMG_6071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUz-72VI/AAAAAAAABz8/gK-BK0UPYpI/s320/IMG_6071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435647195694750034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUoKV9CI/AAAAAAAABz0/Bz6JdN6g3BQ/s1600-h/IMG_6058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUoKV9CI/AAAAAAAABz0/Bz6JdN6g3BQ/s320/IMG_6058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435647192521372706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUIWD7KI/AAAAAAAABzs/46n0m3Sh7KI/s1600-h/IMG_6042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MUIWD7KI/AAAAAAAABzs/46n0m3Sh7KI/s320/IMG_6042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435647183980588194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MTwx4C5I/AAAAAAAABzk/XzlwCBqNwjQ/s1600-h/IMG_6036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/S29MTwx4C5I/AAAAAAAABzk/XzlwCBqNwjQ/s320/IMG_6036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435647177654799250" border="0" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-77204144230430686052009-06-27T07:25:00.003-05:002009-06-27T07:37:36.756-05:00Friendly Neighborhood FarmerThe fella who hays the farm across the way invited us to come check out his machinery, an offer the kids gladly took him up on. He explained how the mower worked with the cutters and flails, why it works that way, and how the entire process of hay baling works from start to finish. I wish I'd gotten a picture of his square baler shooting the bales back into the wagon because that was pretty stinkin' cool. After he was done showing us, he offered to take two of the kids for a ride while he finished cutting the last couple of rows. Jules and Sam had a blast riding with him. What a great guy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSBQ5bwgI/AAAAAAAABx0/Wioa2xVFU4g/s1600-h/IMG_4237.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSBQ5bwgI/AAAAAAAABx0/Wioa2xVFU4g/s320/IMG_4237.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351985020101444098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSBgM1hUI/AAAAAAAABx8/8qxdHNX0Yc0/s1600-h/IMG_4240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSBgM1hUI/AAAAAAAABx8/8qxdHNX0Yc0/s320/IMG_4240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351985024209356098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCHiueyI/AAAAAAAAByE/lkO9UF93K-8/s1600-h/IMG_4241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCHiueyI/AAAAAAAAByE/lkO9UF93K-8/s320/IMG_4241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351985034770152226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCXErygI/AAAAAAAAByM/DyJ3Kx3pCu0/s1600-h/IMG_4243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCXErygI/AAAAAAAAByM/DyJ3Kx3pCu0/s320/IMG_4243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351985038939113986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCrRe7DI/AAAAAAAAByU/nN-9iUGi3Es/s1600-h/IMG_4244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SkYSCrRe7DI/AAAAAAAAByU/nN-9iUGi3Es/s320/IMG_4244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351985044361505842" border="0" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-46702459072021428042009-05-05T06:17:00.003-05:002009-05-05T06:27:43.915-05:00CampfiresBrief Message: My apologies to all who've left comments recently. I think I have that all figured out now. Geesh.<br /><br />We had our first campfire of the season the other evening, and it was so much fun that I thought I'd share some of the photos here. We had a delicious dinner of rotisserie chicken and homemade bread that made excellent sandwiches. Jim and I had fresh, roasted asparagus and homemade cheese on ours, but the kids skipped the asparagus. Man, they don't know what they're missing, but that's okay—more for us!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAEjsxvI/AAAAAAAABuQ/6CDbrNI2_6w/s1600-h/IMG_3369.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAEjsxvI/AAAAAAAABuQ/6CDbrNI2_6w/s320/IMG_3369.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332299343425488626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Fixin' sandwiches:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAtzbmTI/AAAAAAAABuY/RTldgj2pt1Y/s1600-h/IMG_3371.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAtzbmTI/AAAAAAAABuY/RTldgj2pt1Y/s320/IMG_3371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332299354497325362" border="0" /></a><br />Roastin' marshmellows for s'mores:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAutRulI/AAAAAAAABug/wmHM4wJTp_g/s1600-h/IMG_3375.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiAutRulI/AAAAAAAABug/wmHM4wJTp_g/s320/IMG_3375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332299354739948114" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Runnin' with a pointy, burning stick:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiA_LT00I/AAAAAAAABuo/AMaLkXV9aGc/s1600-h/IMG_3379.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SgAiA_LT00I/AAAAAAAABuo/AMaLkXV9aGc/s320/IMG_3379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332299359160881986" border="0" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-8244562508477877932009-04-15T12:50:00.008-05:002009-04-15T13:29:43.938-05:00On the Joys of Anachronism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYfoUxbkvI/AAAAAAAABsg/hAIrcqrJ08k/s1600-h/IMG_3795.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYfoUxbkvI/AAAAAAAABsg/hAIrcqrJ08k/s200/IMG_3795.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324978387043455730" border="0" /></a>On our trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, Jules really wanted to get a ridiculously expensive Native American dress. They wanted $40 for this dress, and she had her own money. I talked her out of it, reasoning that we could make one for just a third of the money that would be even nicer. That if we did that, she could keep her money to spend on something else. She wasn't convinced.<br /><br />Her father offered to take pictures so we would remember exactly what it looked like. That helped a bit. I <span style="font-style: italic;">promised</span> we would make one, that we <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYgjrEVMwI/AAAAAAAABso/RtST0WKPFzU/s1600-h/IMG_3796.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYgjrEVMwI/AAAAAAAABso/RtST0WKPFzU/s200/IMG_3796.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324979406640591618" border="0" /></a>wouldn't forget or get too busy.<br /><br />By the time we got to photos of the back of the dress and had a chance to talk about accessorizing the dress, she was a bit more on board with the idea, as you can see. Accessories always sweeten the deal, and it wasn't too hard to beat the lame fabric paint on this gift store dress. She settled, instead, on a Native American necklace for $9.99 that would go well with the dress we'd be making.<br /><br />The first weekend we were home, true to my word, I took Julia to the local fabric store to see what we could find. We found a great faux suede fabric that was already fringed. Perfect! We brought it home and set about designing the dress, what we wanted it to look like, how we'd make the pattern, etc. I finally finished it yesterday, and it took maybe an afternoon, at most. Thinking through the different parts took longer than actually making it, and for the same price as the dress in the gift shop, we got enough fabric to make her dress, a dress for Em, and a pair of fringed pants for Sam. I, of course, happily picked up the tab on this one.<br /><br />Here's the finished product, minus the cool shell beads that Jules will add herself:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYi1_Q7dZI/AAAAAAAABsw/EA2DJ7lRgOQ/s1600-h/IMG_3244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYi1_Q7dZI/AAAAAAAABsw/EA2DJ7lRgOQ/s200/IMG_3244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324981920323040658" border="0" /></a><br />She looks pretty darned pleased, doesn't she? She hasn't taken it off yet to add the shells, so I'm guessing that's a yes. Em braided Julia's hair for her and is looking forward to finishing both her <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYe4zO1DXI/AAAAAAAABsY/dcmtOGAOT5E/s1600-h/IMG_3246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYe4zO1DXI/AAAAAAAABsY/dcmtOGAOT5E/s200/IMG_3246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324977570586103154" border="0" /></a>Indian dress and the new Colonial dress we're working on that didn't get finished for our trip. Ah well, there's always Mt. Vernon.<br /><br />Another cool aspect of this has been the kids' interest in learning to use the sewing machine. Here's Julia learning to sew, wearing her Indian dress. Not terribly period-appropriate, but way cool. ;)<br /><br />She's been practicing all afternoon on different scraps of fabric and even made time to show her brother how to use the machine:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYk_Kttf9I/AAAAAAAABs4/30QhMW5MTwE/s1600-h/IMG_3257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYk_Kttf9I/AAAAAAAABs4/30QhMW5MTwE/s200/IMG_3257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324984277038628818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYk_QKJY0I/AAAAAAAABtA/kvwYlfBXRT8/s1600-h/IMG_3258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SeYk_QKJY0I/AAAAAAAABtA/kvwYlfBXRT8/s200/IMG_3258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324984278500074306" border="0" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-65352092227119753302009-03-30T14:15:00.007-05:002009-04-01T16:01:57.704-05:00They finished Izzi!Okay, I know I'm a total nerd, but we've been playing with this puzzle off and on for a while now (cleaning it up each time because it gets knocked out of whack), and we always get within <span style="font-style: italic;">one</span> piece of finishing it.<br /><br />I was messing around with it this weekend while Jim's folks were visiting because his dad really likes puzzles. We got within one piece, played around with the possibilities for a while, and then I got bored and started playing Bananagram solitaire.<br /><br />Sam wandered in and got interested, and he and grampa finished it! Here's Sam feeling mighty proud of himself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SdEbBCI3vpI/AAAAAAAABoY/1Wc8ZHzRmNs/s1600-h/IMG_2914.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SdEbBCI3vpI/AAAAAAAABoY/1Wc8ZHzRmNs/s320/IMG_2914.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319062339469164178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Editing: OMG, I just found the mistake! Shhhhhh, don't tell Sam. Can you find it?Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-2535878412354071662009-03-13T13:42:00.009-05:002009-03-13T14:14:21.634-05:00Great Wolf LodgeWe just got back from an awesome vacation to <a href="http://www.greatwolf.com/williamsburg/activities/waterpark?s_kwcid=great%20wolf%20lodge%7C2422256952">Great Wolf Lodge</a> in Williamsburg, Virginia. We had a total blast, and this time, Jim was able to come with us, which is always a special treat. Thanks Steph for farmsitting!<br /><br />The water park is awesome, and we were lucky enough to get a really good deal on the room rates with a group discount. The slides and flow rider were the most fun for Jim and I, but the kids really loved the big water fort and the lillypad pond. They spent hours and hours just playing on the floating log rounds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbqqZxVcWNI/AAAAAAAABlI/-qZh1CUiu1w/s1600-h/IMG_3900.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbqqZxVcWNI/AAAAAAAABlI/-qZh1CUiu1w/s200/IMG_3900.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312746070153648338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbqrDtqaNtI/AAAAAAAABlQ/J_HeOISVjc8/s1600-h/IMG_3893.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbqrDtqaNtI/AAAAAAAABlQ/J_HeOISVjc8/s200/IMG_3893.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312746790722352850" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbqrqm6Or0I/AAAAAAAABlY/Kw-7hK42nXU/s1600-h/IMG_3885.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbqrqm6Or0I/AAAAAAAABlY/Kw-7hK42nXU/s200/IMG_3885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312747458924556098" border="0" /></a>And here's a totally blurry picture of Jim doing tricks in the flow pool, mostly because it's pretty cool and because there's just no way I'm putting a photo of myself up here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbqsq60qFQI/AAAAAAAABlg/sOW5gwaeCzc/s1600-h/IMG_3883.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbqsq60qFQI/AAAAAAAABlg/sOW5gwaeCzc/s200/IMG_3883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312748563781522690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We also spent time in <a href="http://www.history.org/">Colonial Williamsburg</a> and the <a href="http://historyisfun.org/Jamestown-Settlement.htm">Jamestown Settlement</a>, two of our favorite places to visit. Sam and Jim spent lots of time talking to the blacksmiths at both places, picking their brains about how to get started and getting tips on how to build a backyard forge. Guess what we have in our future?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquwVzl03I/AAAAAAAABlw/KTBp7l1wPQw/s1600-h/IMG_3783.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquwVzl03I/AAAAAAAABlw/KTBp7l1wPQw/s200/IMG_3783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312750855947408242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquvpZ5mOI/AAAAAAAABlo/kTLF-X6vias/s1600-h/IMG_3779.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquvpZ5mOI/AAAAAAAABlo/kTLF-X6vias/s200/IMG_3779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312750844028492002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbquwh5c0AI/AAAAAAAABl4/QK6O9khCjAE/s1600-h/IMG_3791.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/Sbquwh5c0AI/AAAAAAAABl4/QK6O9khCjAE/s200/IMG_3791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312750859193208834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The weather was gorgeous the day we went to Jamestown, though it cooled down considerably for our visit to Colonial Williamsburg. While several of the Williamsburg exhibits that we enjoy were closed for the winter season, most notably for me was Great Hopes Plantation, I was pleased to be able to check out their winter gardening techniques and to get time to talk to some food historians in one of the house kitchens.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquxASoo4I/AAAAAAAABmA/51qb2J18EwU/s1600-h/IMG_3809.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquxASoo4I/AAAAAAAABmA/51qb2J18EwU/s200/IMG_3809.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312750867351905154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquxeKVZ9I/AAAAAAAABmI/D9r9die1sr4/s1600-h/IMG_3825.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SbquxeKVZ9I/AAAAAAAABmI/D9r9die1sr4/s200/IMG_3825.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312750875370153938" border="0" /></a><br />Em got to try out her new piano skills on a beautiful handmade harpsichord at the cabinet maker. Of course, I had to ask the man who worked on it how much they sold for because it was such an incredible piece of art and craftsmanship: $30,000. Wow! Jim asked and found out that they use bird quills for the picks that pluck the strings, giving it the characteristic tinny sound. Cool! We just love learning, and we learn something new every time we go there.<br /><br />We had a blast, but still, it's good to be home!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-70752875764077131282009-02-25T19:40:00.006-05:002009-02-25T20:34:34.742-05:00InterviewThanks to <a href="http://barn-raising.blogspot.com/">Madeline</a> for this awesome meme. I'm going to treasure these answers, even if some of them are an absolute riot!<br /><br />I interviewed each child separately, and Sam was kind enough to pause his game to humor me. What a guy!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. What is something your mom always says to you?</span><br />Emily: I love you.<br />Julia: The more you clean up, the more you find.<br />Sam: Don't listen to your daddy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. What makes your mom happy?</span><br />Emily: clean floors<br />Julia: Seeing our smiles.<br />Sam: Seeing her children have fun.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. What makes your mom sad?</span><br />Emily: She doesn't get sad very often, but when she yells at me she does.<br />Julia: When she and daddy argue.<br />Sam: Seeing her children being really sad and hitting their own selves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. How does your mom make you laugh?</span><br />Emily: She tries to tell a bad joke. when there's no laughter, I start laughing.<br />Julia: Makes jokes at my dad.<br />Sam: By tickling me so much.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. What did your mom like to do when she was a child?</span><br />Emily: I really don't know; she doesn't talk about her childhood much.<br />Julia: Look in the garden for gnomes.<br />Sam: read books.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. How old is your mom?</span><br />Emily: 38<br />Julia: 37<br />Sam: 38<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. How tall is your mom?</span><br />Emily: shorter than daddy<br />Julia: How do I know!?<br />Sam: 7 feet<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. What is her favorite thing to do?</span><br />Emily: garden<br />Julia: garden<br />Sam: garden<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. What does your mom do when you're not around?</span><br />Emily: Have private time with daddy.<br />Julia: Be on the computer.<br />Sam: garden<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?</span><br />Emily: her delicious food<br />Julia: our farm<br />Sam: gardening<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. What is your mom really good at?</span><br />Emily: everything<br />Julia: farming<br />Sam: gardening<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. What is your mom not very good at?</span><br />Emily: video and computer games<br />Julia: math<br />Sam: building houses<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. What does your mom do for her job?</span><br />Emily: provide food<br />Julia: farm<br />Sam: gardening<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. What is your mom's favorite food?</span><br />Emily: cheese<br />Julia: chicken giambatta<br />Sam: salad<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. What makes you proud of your mom?</span><br />Emily: So much stuff, I can't choose one thing.<br />Julia: her gardening.<br />Sam: That she builds the strength to do what she does today even though it's very hard.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?</span><br />Emily: Nausicaa<br />Julia: Princess Jasmine<br />Sam: Superwoman<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. What do you and your mom do together?</span><br />Emily: So many things I can't think of one. We talk together, help me read and write, and she cares about me.<br />Julia: play bananagrams<br />Sam: play<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. How are you and your mom the same?</span><br />Emily: we're very alike. We have a lot the same personality. We both get very powerful sometimes and a bunch of other stuff.<br />Julia: We like baking.<br />Sam: we both like snuggling with each other<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. How are you and your mom different?</span><br />Emily: I've got thicker hair and I'm younger.<br />Julia: she likes to weed; I don't.<br />Sam: I know how to do a lot of computer games and she doesn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. How do you know your mom loves you?</span><br />Emily: That she's caring enough to do things for me.<br />Julia: Cause she takes care of me.<br />Sam: Because she says it every day, and I know she means it. And she doesn't, like, roll her eyes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">21. What does your mom like most about your dad?</span><br />Emily: I don't know. There's so many things she likes about him.<br />Julia: Him.<br />Sam: Everything.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?</span><br />Emily: the garden<br />Julia: the beach<br />Sam: The family room because it has all the family in it usually.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-5789371348989847872009-02-22T12:41:00.019-05:002009-02-22T18:21:48.971-05:00On Autonomy and the Politics of UnschoolingI'm lifting this post from an unschooling list where the list-owner understandably prefers to keep political discussions off list. Neither the quote nor the response in the box below are my words, but I've had some ideas floating in my mind as a response to this particular post and others for the past couple of days, and here seems as good a place as any to explore them and get them out of my head. I jump around quite a bit, and this is as much a genealogy of my own foray into the concept of autonomy as it is any kind of coherent statement; think of it as a citation of sorts of my sources. I do hope to draw the threads of my thoughts together by the end, but I make no promises. Mostly, I'll just be impressed if anyone gets to the end.<br /><br /><hr /><span style="font-style: italic;">And yet we all have that need, to greater and lesser degrees, to have relationships be on our terms.</span><br /><br />It's a luxury, to have anything on one's own terms. It's an exception in the history of the world.<br /><hr /><br />The fact that having something on one's own terms is a relatively recent phenomenon doesn't make it any less worthy a goal. For the founding fathers of the United States, the ideals of self-governance were something worth declaring and fighting for: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The fact that those men fell short of imagining how these revolutionary ideals might extend to women or people of color does not detract from the import of the ideals themselves. The fact that the world is still in a state of becoming does not detract from the appeal of the dream.<br /><br />We have come a long way towards the guarantee of those inalienable rights within the United States, and though we still have far to go, we can choose to stop and savor the idea that perhaps—even if not exactly linear—there is progress and hope for improving and going beyond what our forebears might have been able to accomplish or even imagine in their cultural moment. Here in America, we're lucky enough to be able to homeschool and even make claims to the notion of autonomy; that's certainly not the case everywhere in the world even today. We have gone from black slaves building the White House to a black family living in the White house, and although this is not a fulfillment necessarily of Martin Luther King, Jr's dream, it is definitely a watershed moment.<br /><br />Dreams of a better and brighter future are always worth having, and dreams that encompass humanity and social justice are by their very nature political. I believe that our choices and actions every moment of every day reflect our own dreams and ideals of humanity and social justice. The personal <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> political.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&amp;task=view&amp;id=1579">Thich Nhat Hanh</a>, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk once nominated by Dr. King for the Nobel Peace Prize, together with a small group of his fellow monks developed the idea of "engaged Buddhism," a way of imagining the religious and the political together in the face of an ugly war where the people were hurting. This need to meld religious practice with political action was a direct reaction to the apolitical nature of Buddhism that was abandoning the people of Vietnam. Engaged Buddhism encouraged monks to speak out against government atrocities and engage in efforts to alleviate suffering, turning their personal practice into political statement.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.infed.org/thinkers/hooks.htm">bell hooks</a>, African-American teacher and activist, imported this idea of engaged Buddhism into the classroom, calling for what she termed "engaged pedagogy," or a form of teaching that has at its core the self-actualization of both teacher and student, transforming the classroom into a place where relationship and learning are central and extending the notion of "classroom" out into the world. bell hooks and other educational activists like Paolo Freire, Henry Giroux, Gayatri Spivak, and several others explore the political nature of the intersection of teaching/ learning/ culture, and each has in common a recognition and insistence that personal practice is political, that teaching and learning and dreaming are themselves political acts.<br /><br />Unschooling, for me, is fundamentally a political act. Choosing not to send my children to the state-run schools was and is a political statement. Of course, that's not all it is, in a reductionist kind of way; it's lots of other things as well—a way to continue the connection with my children that we enjoyed when they were little, a way to preserve and protect their freedom and authenticity, a way to offer them the chance to grow into themselves unfettered by others' expectations. That, and much, much more.<br /><br />Each of these things is political in its nature in large part by virtue of the fact that they run counter to the norm of society, so even to make those decisions is to reject at some level the cultural conventions that prevail. To make these choices is to make a stand, and the very visibility of that stand makes a statement. Each time my kids and I are out in public, people are reminded that they, too, have choices. True choices, though, depend upon the freedom to make those choices, the personal <span style="font-style: italic;">autonomy</span> to make those choices, and that's a word that's become a bit of a bugbear in certain unschooling circles recently.<br /><br />Autonomy isn't a new concept. It's been around since the 1600s and came into vogue with the Enlightenment and German philosopher Emmanuel Kant's exploration of moral philosophy. These ideas were circulating at the time the <span style="font-style: italic;">Declaration of Independence</span> was written, and the idea of the autonomous individual is fundamental within the context of American political thought. Indeed, the very idea of "the individual" behind the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is a product of Enlightenment thinking. Prior to that time period, people tended to be thought of in context of community, class, family, church. The dream that a person could step outside of that structure and define himself was pretty revolutionary.<br /><br /><a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/autonomy-moral/">"Put most simply, to be autonomous is to be one's own person, to be directed by considerations, desires, conditions, and characteristics that are not simply imposed externally upon one, but are part of what can somehow be considered one's authentic self."</a> America itself was founded on these ideals, and the American dream is inextricably caught up with the notion of the self-made man and the colonial context that provided the material trappings of his making. The fact that the autonomous individual was always a white male, usually from a colonial power, within these discourses (with the notable exception of Mary Wollstonecraft's feminist treatise <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/144/"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Vindication of the Rights of Woman</span></a>) has been a particularly problematic legacy for thinkers like bell hooks, Paolo Freire, and others who have simultaneously embraced the idea of autonomy and critiqued the oppressive power structures of its cultural legacy. They have sought through their own revolutionary discourses to claim access to and ownership of the notion of political autonomy with the classroom as the locus of their intervention.<br /><br />During the 20th century, the idea of autonomy as a basic human need emerged within the field of psychology under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory">Self Determination Theory</a>, which has, in turn, sent the concept out into all kinds of arenas ranging from education, as in hooks and Freire, to health care to parenting. Within this context authors like <a href="http://alfiekohn.org/index.html">Alfie Kohn</a>, <a href="http://www.naomialdort.com/">Naomi Aldort</a>, and <a href="http://www.cnvc.org/">Marshall Rosenberg</a> have discussed children's autonomy both in relation to schools and to their parents, and their work has been influential on a number of other writers and parents alike. <span style="font-style: italic;">Autonomy</span> has become a fundamental term in educational theory and a definite trend in alternative parenting theories, and the notion of supporting children's autonomy rather than gaining authority over them has become commonplace in this genre.<br /><br />The question for me, and others I think, is whether we haven't sacrificed something by adopting the dream of the autonomous individual. Enlightenment ideals encapsulated by the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness sound grand and lovely, but they are inherently defined against the notion of an oppressor, operating within the master/ slave dialectic: we're either autonomous or we're oppressed. That dichotomy is problematic and, largely, what I personally am seeking to move away from in the way I choose to live with my children.<br /><br />But there's a paradox here for me: the way I seek to live in partnership and respect with my children seems to have the notion of autonomy as its foundation—the idea that children are people and that people have a basic need for for respect and self-determination. I'm caught up in the power matrix by virtue of living in a culture that defines parenting in adversarial and authoritative ways. I'd like a new term, a new image, a new model of mutually respectful interdependence, but at this point I can't even imagine what a truly communal identity would look like outside the tyrant/ victim worldview. I suspect, hope, believe (or perhaps console myself) that this new concept is still in its early stages of becoming, still in its own imagining and that the choices we're making as unschoolers are part of bringing it forth into the world. The every day act of living in partnership with our children whether we name it or not gives birth to this new way of being.<br /><br /><br />I have more ramblings having to do with John Holt's <span style="font-style: italic;">Escape from Childhood</span>, but this is long enough already. I'll post more later this week as I sit with these ideas a bit.<br /><hr /><br /><blockquote><br /><em>There are times when I fear that someone reading this, even if not yet totally converted to neoliberal pragmatism but perhaps somewhat contaminated by it, may think that there is no more place among us for the dreamer and believer in utopia. Yet what I have been saying up to now is not the stuff of inconsequential dreamers. It has to do with the very nature of men and women as makers and dreamers of history and not simply as casualties of an a priori vision of the world. ~Paolo Freire<br /><br /><br /><br /></em></blockquote>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-54781407109561466552009-02-12T21:54:00.007-05:002009-02-12T22:13:21.970-05:00New Favorite Games<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Think-Fun-5680-ThinkFun-Izzi/dp/B00004WJSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=toys-and-games&amp;qid=1234493879&amp;sr=1-1"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SZTiA6z9kLI/AAAAAAAABjQ/ias2A4rIfEs/s200/51ZN623TGXL._SL160_AA160_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302111166736994482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Izzi. We found this one recently, and it's totally addictive. And way hard. This is one of those puzzles that you want to come back to over and over again, and the different iterations make it challenging each time you sit down. This is one to leave out for folks to tinker with as they walk by.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bananagrams-BAN001/dp/1932188126/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=toys-and-games&amp;qid=1234493708&amp;sr=8-1"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SZThRvwjxjI/AAAAAAAABjI/d0D59BFel10/s200/21OUQzAuhuL._SL500_AA150_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302110356316079666" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Bananagrams. Thanks Kelly for this one! We've been playing constantly. Loads of fun, this is a kind of scrabble meets crossword game that can be played with one to several players. It's loads of fun and can be modified for many skill levels.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/BIGTOFFICE-GWI508-Maya-Madness-Game/dp/B00008X37Z/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=toys-and-games&amp;qid=1234494098&amp;sr=1-3"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SZTi9gAyusI/AAAAAAAABjY/Ivo4fBSr1bU/s200/5193NRP4N7L._SL160_AA160_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302112207515073218" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Maya Madness. This is a card game similar to Uno, but based on adding and subtracting numbers and dealing with both positive and negative numbers. It's fast-paced and really reinforces both the way numbers work together and the importance of zero while also being a lot of fun to play.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The cool thing with all of these is that they're small and easy to take along wherever you go.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-16360041417277540722009-02-04T19:01:00.003-05:002009-02-05T07:53:24.115-05:00Confusing MessagesI was gazing at my oldest, amazed by the adult she's rapidly becoming, when it occurred to me that all my hopes and dreams for her come in an awful jumbled emotional mess. This all came clear in an instant as my tenets flashed through my head:<br /><br />1) you are perfect and infinitely lovable just the way you are.<br /><br />2) happiness comes through being happy just where you are.<br /><br />3) but don't ever be satisfied to be just where you are.<br /><br />Interesting. There's a lot caught up in that third notion of goal-setting, striving, and ambition....Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-55652957594058748462009-01-15T08:50:00.004-05:002009-01-15T09:01:14.664-05:00We went snowboarding!Ouch is about all I can say.<br /><br />I'm taking the photo, but I promise I snowboarded too--twice. My tailbone is still lecturing me about it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SW8__I_f2oI/AAAAAAAABf4/WrMhsKhDknc/s1600-h/STA_2802.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SW8__I_f2oI/AAAAAAAABf4/WrMhsKhDknc/s320/STA_2802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291518441161742978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sam and Julia absolutely loved it, and they were naturals. Em, not so much. She and my friend (the one in the photo) hit the lodge after their first run while I went back up with the rest of the kids for another run, masochist that I am.<br /><br />Unfortunately, my surfin'/ skateboardin' honey couldn't come with us, so we'll have to go back again when he has off. Em and I plan to try skiing next time, but the rest of the gang will snowboard. More power to 'em. I used to be a pretty avid skiier back in high school, so I feel confident that it won't hurt nearly as much. At least that's what I keep telling my tailbone.<br /><br />We were able to go for the Pennsylvania learn to ski day, so we got a lesson, the equipment, and a half day lift ticket for $10 per person. It's a really great deal and worth checking into if you live anywhere near a mountain. Of course, we got sucked into buying their special beginner package, but we live so close to the resort that it seems a sin not to take advantage of it now that all the kids are old enough. Jim has every other Friday off of work now, too, so we'll be able to do a lot more family trips on off hours. Yay!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-90992374839742671222009-01-06T08:38:00.005-05:002009-01-06T09:14:33.815-05:00Holiday Fun!Here's one of those drive-by picture posts, just so I can say that I've updated the blog, and so that I can prove to Madeline that we made good use of her gingerbread mold that I still haven't returned.<br /><br />Christmas morning. Those are original Lionel trains under the tree that Jim's dad had when he was young. It's hard to say who has more fun with them every year: Jim, his dad, or the kids. I'm in the back checking the fire in the wood stove:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZCUm8MI/AAAAAAAABd4/-Gq7OYySvVQ/s1600-h/IMG_3481.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZCUm8MI/AAAAAAAABd4/-Gq7OYySvVQ/s320/IMG_3481.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288177470211027138" border="0" /></a><br />Here's Sam with his new cowboy guns. I think they're the same ones that he wanted to win so desperately from Marty Dodd at the St. Louis Live and Learn Conference several years ago. He's quite pleased with them! Better late than never. And yes, Kelly, if you read this blog, those are our caricatures from the conference on the wall behind the sofa. Connections, connections!<br /><br />This is also a good shot of the basement family room we've been working on, for those following that ongoing saga:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZu-Rj-I/AAAAAAAABeA/45bCLDingM4/s1600-h/IMG_3484.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZu-Rj-I/AAAAAAAABeA/45bCLDingM4/s320/IMG_3484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288177482196946914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Gingerbread house fun on Christmas Day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlSqQ8t0I/AAAAAAAABeg/692i8zPOw0M/s1600-h/IMG_3527.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlSqQ8t0I/AAAAAAAABeg/692i8zPOw0M/s320/IMG_3527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288181758720522050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not a particularly good picture of the gingerbread houses, but it's photographic proof anyway:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhYooZ53I/AAAAAAAABdw/XcDVN69yfVg/s1600-h/IMG_2760.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhYooZ53I/AAAAAAAABdw/XcDVN69yfVg/s320/IMG_2760.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288177463314737010" border="0" /></a><br />An afternoon romp in the pastures, trying to work off all the food we've eaten already. Don't know if you can see them, but Sam has his guns and holster for good measure:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhaBaOzvI/AAAAAAAABeQ/qtJeKlvixK0/s1600-h/IMG_3488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhaBaOzvI/AAAAAAAABeQ/qtJeKlvixK0/s320/IMG_3488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288177487146045170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZ2vMe9I/AAAAAAAABeI/BNpdQsK_nmc/s1600-h/IMG_3487.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNhZ2vMe9I/AAAAAAAABeI/BNpdQsK_nmc/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288177484281183186" border="0" /></a><br />I'm bringing up the rear a bit more slowly. It's the mimosas and the eggs benedict draggin' me down. Jules, of course, was sweet enough to run back down the hill to keep me company:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlSXsG_JI/AAAAAAAABeY/h5Osy5I6PeU/s1600-h/IMG_3500.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlSXsG_JI/AAAAAAAABeY/h5Osy5I6PeU/s320/IMG_3500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288181753734167698" border="0" /></a><br />Had to include this one of tattoo fun:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlTRDk48I/AAAAAAAABeo/cLL9La9g5yk/s1600-h/IMG_3528.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlTRDk48I/AAAAAAAABeo/cLL9La9g5yk/s320/IMG_3528.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288181769133417410" border="0" /></a><br />And last but not least, a New Year's Day hike on the Appalachian Trail. Happy New Year all! Maybe this year I'll get my new year's cards out before April. Maybe....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlTy_dKOI/AAAAAAAABew/dyqDVr2OpCc/s1600-h/IMG_3558.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SWNlTy_dKOI/AAAAAAAABew/dyqDVr2OpCc/s320/IMG_3558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288181778242939106" border="0" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-44395782421906214422008-12-18T15:32:00.002-05:002008-12-18T15:35:26.661-05:00Connections Ezine now free online<p class="text8">Our hiatus has evolved into full-blown defunct status despite my denial. The energy involved in this project is now expended in other directions, and many of our writers have moved on.<br /><br />I thank our subscribers and writers for making the existing issues possible. By way of thanks, I have opened all issues for public access in hopes that they will help many families on their unschooling journeys. There's too much wisdom, experience, and insight contained in this collection of ezine articles to simply let go.<br /><br />I will use the remaining subscription money to continue to fund the website maintenance both here and at <a href="http://organiclearning.org/">OrganicLearning.org</a> I welcome any future donations to keep Connections alive. Please continue to submit resources, and I will do my best to keep those pages up to date.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="text8"><a href="http://connections.organiclearning.org/">Connections: ezine of unschooling and mindful parenting</a><br /></p> <p class="text8">Again, my humble thanks to all who helped make this project possible. </p>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-7078650031661587822008-08-19T15:09:00.005-05:002008-08-19T15:33:28.811-05:00I know, I know...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKso4kd9_lI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/rJIgjQDoZYI/s1600-h/IMG_2344.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKso4kd9_lI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/rJIgjQDoZYI/s200/IMG_2344.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236323944075492946" border="0" /></a>It's been forever since I posted. What can I say? This is busy season on the farm, and my computer time and energy is limited. Here's a recent photo of the kids making their own pizzas one night for dinner, a common occurrence round these parts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKsqxDv2dJI/AAAAAAAAA-o/peiCGz4mo3M/s1600-h/IMG_2373.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKsqxDv2dJI/AAAAAAAAA-o/peiCGz4mo3M/s200/IMG_2373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236326014056297618" border="0" /></a>Em turned 11 a couple of weeks ago, came down with chicken pox yesterday, and started her first knitting project. She's quite proud of herself and has something to do while sitting in bed watching movies. You can see she has a new haircut, too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKssUd-PbKI/AAAAAAAAA-w/mb174gzOSpQ/s1600-h/IMG_2319.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKssUd-PbKI/AAAAAAAAA-w/mb174gzOSpQ/s200/IMG_2319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236327721903025314" border="0" /></a>The other kiddos are doing well, too. Jules is learning to knit as well, and is working on her own scarf. She also planted her own garden this year. Her siblings had small plots as well, but never got into it as much as she did, and she did much of the work for them as well. These sunflowers are some she painstakingly transplanted out of my market garden—volunteers for last year's crop that would have been tilled under. She also planted tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and pumpkins, though the pumpkins never materialized. She also graciously (or begrudgingly, depending on the moment) loaned me some garden space for my medicinal herbs until I get the new bed made. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKstpvT4h0I/AAAAAAAAA-4/f1rnWbtF6pQ/s1600-h/IMG_2061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SKstpvT4h0I/AAAAAAAAA-4/f1rnWbtF6pQ/s200/IMG_2061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236329186846082882" border="0" /></a>Here, she's dressed up as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean III for a game they're playing, which I dragged her away from to get the photo before the sunflower came and went.<br /><br />Sam's big into swimming and The Legend of Zelda these days. Oh, and Mythbusters—he absolutely loves Mythbusters. He's grown so much this past year, emotionally and physically, and he's such an amazing soul. He was so pysched to be able to climb to the top of the water truck that brought the water for our swimming pool.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-69760007297404069232008-06-06T05:41:00.001-05:002008-06-06T05:43:08.031-05:00Photo Friday meme: DestructionThis is from a meme challenge from last year on another blog I was keeping, but have now deleted. I wanted to save this post, so I brought it over here... seemed to fit well.<br /><br /> <a name="116075754185327235"></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1714/353/1600/destruction.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1714/353/320/destruction.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Destruction...<br /><br />Of course there will be all kinds of posts about war, natural disasters, violent deaths...so much destruction in the world.<br /><br />But I wanted to explore something a bit more mundane. Something that captured the essence of life with children and the inevitable destruction that flows rampant in their wake.<br /><br />This is a photo of my girls' room. You probably can't tell, but the carpet is a sandy colored shag, which is great for hiding wear. Unfortunately, it's also great for swallowing itty-bitty Polly Pocket shoes, legos and all the other minutae of childhood, which then get sucked into the vacuum vortex never to be seen again.<br /><br />Or, if it happens to be a heavy magnetic geomag ball, it whips around the beater bar at such velocity that it blows a hole in the back of the vacuum, requiring yet another application of that universal problem-solver (sounds like something put out by the pentagon, doesn't it?)—duct tape!<br /><br />This photo captures the essence of householding itself and the entropy held barely at bay by even the most assiduous. Sadly, it also serves as a symbol of so many parent/child relationships.<br /><br />"Clean your room!" rings out, the unfortunate litany of beleaguered mothers across the country who unwittingly—or perhaps they can't help themselves because they really <b>have</b> become their mothers—turn a 12x12 space into a battleground upon which die innumerable relationships each week.<br /><br />What if, instead of a battleground, a mom chose to turn this scene into an opportunity for connection, into precious moments spent getting to know children simply through the offer of help?<br /><br />What if, instead, a mom presented her energy and aid as a gift to her children and helped them sort through their many treasures strewn across the floor as she might help a hopelessly disorganized friend find her basement, enjoying the conversation and connection along the way?<br /><br />What if...Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-29027986807438613612008-05-31T15:16:00.002-05:002008-05-31T15:19:34.023-05:00What's the sound a cow makes?<iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXn3VMcy26xcKFaOrOoy2djJO1W0eA5P3yneTGi3eaVwnQ7dqYAl3cLaw3uifc9ruPmhrD6voY4Dg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">That's not the sound a cow makes!</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzJO2mHjywq7JJ2Ybwvf5hmBrMpYX47CnfRE4586lDJ_xQurg3GnE25Q2JEMwZ3T7LNDDNtF2vqqVk' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Now, that's the sound a cow makes.</span><br /><br /><br />Emily with our new cow, Bella. (Yes, for those of you who read my farm blog, we've finally settled on a name for her.) We have raw milk coming out the wazoo and it's wonderful! <br /><br />Um, not really the wazoo, you know.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-28690884984497142192008-05-29T04:31:00.006-05:002008-12-10T05:38:40.094-05:00Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD54asyRvtI/AAAAAAAAA2I/Yj_1pErEXS4/s1600-h/IMG_1673.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD54asyRvtI/AAAAAAAAA2I/Yj_1pErEXS4/s200/IMG_1673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205730619380842194" border="0" /></a>The girls, my mom, and I headed over to the <a href="http://www.sheepandwool.org/">Sheep and Wool Festival</a> in May, something I've been wanting to do for a few years. Now that we have our own sheep and the wool from a recent shearing, we were all motivated to go. Except the boys that is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD542MyRvuI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/DMG6yXES-MQ/s1600-h/IMG_1674.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD542MyRvuI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/DMG6yXES-MQ/s200/IMG_1674.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205731091827244770" border="0" /></a><br />There were hundreds of vendors there and so many, many beautiful things. Really too much to take in in only one visit. The natural broom stall was a Harry Potter fan's dream, and the girls ooohed and ahhhed and wished they had the $60 to spend on one, especially those with the beautifully carved handles that Emily's admiring. We contented ourselves with photos and imagination in the end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD55pMyRvvI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/XGkTMUdAVxk/s1600-h/IMG_1676.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD55pMyRvvI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/XGkTMUdAVxk/s200/IMG_1676.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205731968000573170" border="0" /></a>I could have spent at least another hour just looking at all the different breeds of sheep, several I'd never even heard of. Some of them were so huge that they looked more like miniature horses than sheep, like this <a href="http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/lincoln/">Lincoln</a> here in the background. I also got to see one of my favorite breeds, the <a href="http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/leicesterlongwool/index.htm">Leicester Longwool</a> and I fell in love with the <a href="http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/cotswold/">Cotswolds</a>. Something about those long curls just makes them irrisistable. Of course, I still adore my <a href="http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/navajochurro/index.htm">Navajo-Churros</a>, especially their size! But mostly I love the range of natural color fiber they offer in lovely shades of browns and creams and blacks and grays. I spoke for a bit with one of the Dine who was there in the main showroom with some gorgeous (and fabulously expensive) Navajo rugs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD56ycyRvwI/AAAAAAAAA2g/TY2EJzDe1os/s1600-h/IMG_1677.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SD56ycyRvwI/AAAAAAAAA2g/TY2EJzDe1os/s200/IMG_1677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205733226425990914" border="0" /></a>We had gone there looking for some tools to work our fiber, and unfortunately missed getting a Navajo spindle by about 2 minutes. The lady had just finished paying for it and felt so badly that we weren't going to get one that she offered to return it! I assured her that we could find another one or make one ourselves, but I thought it was a very sweet offer. We were able to pick up some wool carders and some felting needles, so we were pretty pleased. We also bought some of those lovely Cotswold curls dyed in a whole array of colors. Best part was that they were sold by a local farmer here in Maryland. The girls got to see lots of spinning and asked many questions, and we were all felting away into the night.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-71569430254047676932008-04-14T08:52:00.004-05:002008-12-10T05:38:40.429-05:00Building Beehives<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SANh6ETbXrI/AAAAAAAAAwA/1KIhlR55S6w/s1600-h/IMG_1501.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SANh6ETbXrI/AAAAAAAAAwA/1KIhlR55S6w/s200/IMG_1501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189098845876477618" border="0" /></a>We're getting bees this spring, and the first step is to build the hives, which arrived precut in about a thousand pieces. This quickly turned into a family affair even though the bees are my gardening thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SANi1ETbXsI/AAAAAAAAAwI/vAJga7b98wg/s1600-h/IMG_1520.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/SANi1ETbXsI/AAAAAAAAAwI/vAJga7b98wg/s200/IMG_1520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189099859488759490" border="0" /></a>The kids helped glue and hammer, and Jim lent his building expertise to be sure we didn't mess up (which, judging by this photo, I didn't always agree with!). We were able to get four hive bodies put together along with five frames. We still have two honey supers and 35 frames left to go! Once we're all done, we'll stain them and get them set up out in the hedgerow. Our bees will arrive mid-May, so we should be on a pretty good trajectory. I'll post pics once they're all set up outside.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-537537409910362562008-04-10T06:12:00.008-05:002008-12-10T05:38:41.584-05:00Recent ProjectsThe kids have been exploring all kinds of things lately, so I thought I'd do a kind of catch-up post on their projects.<br /><br />Lego building and dioramas:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_331VrzBnI/AAAAAAAAAt4/cE5zlaGrsIQ/s1600-h/IMG_1141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_331VrzBnI/AAAAAAAAAt4/cE5zlaGrsIQ/s320/IMG_1141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187574841526650482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jules's dollhouse: You can't see all the details in the photo, but she's been making this all winter by herself. There's some sewing, some tape. Many of the household items have been fashioned out of sculpey. Up in the attic, there's lots of winter stores made from pipe cleaners and salvaged packaging—if I recall correctly, she has lots of pumpkins and gourds, onions, and lettuce. The circular blocks out in front represent the well, and the smaller building on the side is the barn with a goat stall and yellow straw bales in the loft. We have plans to begin knitting some oxen for her family, but I have to figure out how to cast on again before we get started. (It's hard to have to wait for mama to get stuff done!) Much of this is a spin-off of our reading this winter. Jules really loves the Little House on the Prairie series.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34GVrzBoI/AAAAAAAAAuA/uqGBevc6vuM/s1600-h/IMG_1066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34GVrzBoI/AAAAAAAAAuA/uqGBevc6vuM/s320/IMG_1066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187575133584426626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Gaming: Of course, there's been plenty of gaming around here between the new ds's and the gamecube. Computer games, too, hold loads of fun and learning. Sam's particular favorites right now are Call of Duty for the gamecube and Ages of Empire/ Mythology for the computer. These games have played into Sam's interest with guns and have spawned a huge interest in World War II.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34aVrzBpI/AAAAAAAAAuI/cQqT7zScBCo/s1600-h/IMG_1098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34aVrzBpI/AAAAAAAAAuI/cQqT7zScBCo/s320/IMG_1098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187575477181810322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Embroidery:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34olrzBqI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/VanMQ778PNY/s1600-h/IMG_0989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_34olrzBqI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/VanMQ778PNY/s320/IMG_0989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187575721994946210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And, of course, lots of other fun stuff. Reading is exploding around here, as we've enjoyed many, many books this winter. While we've always enjoyed reading, this has been the winter of the series book: Series of Unfortunate Events, Circle of Magic, Little House on the Prairie, Artemis Fowl. Both Emily and Julia are jumping into reading books on their own, and Emily in particular is becoming quite fluent, quite quickly, reading the Mysteries of Droon series on her own now. It's wonderful to watch all their interests emerge and overlap and lead into other things&mdash;the organic nature of learning is absolutely thrilling to see unfold.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-36684161885121194202008-04-04T07:33:00.005-05:002008-12-10T05:38:41.950-05:00Liberty Science Center<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_YgmohBTAI/AAAAAAAAAtM/pNAIstVN4t8/s1600-h/IMG_1333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_YgmohBTAI/AAAAAAAAAtM/pNAIstVN4t8/s200/IMG_1333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185367869046737922" border="0" /></a>On a recent trip to my in-law's place in North Jersey, we spent the day at the <a href="http://www.lsc.org/">Liberty Science Center</a>, which is quite a fun little museum. Being so new, absolutely everything in there is hands-on, and there are several fun learning exhibits. Jules spent quite some time working out math puzzles—she and her grampa like doing the sudoku puzzles together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_YhGYhBTBI/AAAAAAAAAtU/qpBuJh05XY8/s1600-h/IMG_1334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R_YhGYhBTBI/AAAAAAAAAtU/qpBuJh05XY8/s200/IMG_1334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185368414507584530" border="0" /></a>I enjoyed the alternative energy room where we got to play around with solar, wind, and water power. We're hoping to pull together a small portable solar station to run our well pump during power outages, among other things. I also loved the huge Hoberman sphere in the lobby.<br /><br />Sam really liked the balloon wall and the Eat and Be Eaten room with all the insects and animals. Em just loved being there and exploring everything! Another highlight was the observation deck where we got to see the Statue of Liberty. Just doesn't get cooler than that!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-48549474651521580242008-02-21T08:00:00.008-05:002008-12-10T05:38:42.603-05:00November Catch Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R712kvS9NbI/AAAAAAAAAoU/H6GmhkRJ-Xc/s1600-h/IMG_0687.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R712kvS9NbI/AAAAAAAAAoU/H6GmhkRJ-Xc/s200/IMG_0687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169418320834540978" border="0" /></a>As promised in an earlier post, here are some photos of a couple of trips we took in November. We spent time at the <a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/">Smithsonian Natural History Museum</a> in the <a href="http://mineralsciences.si.edu/">rocks, minerals, and gems room</a>, one of our favorites. This time the kiddos were really interested in looking at the jewelry and hearing the little history blurbs about where it came from—even Sam was dazzled by the gems' beauty and brilliance. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R7122fS9NcI/AAAAAAAAAoc/KZfBpWdqr3E/s1600-h/IMG_0694.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R7122fS9NcI/AAAAAAAAAoc/KZfBpWdqr3E/s200/IMG_0694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169418625777219010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Afterwards, we walked over to the <a href="http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&amp;second=visitor&amp;third=hours">National Museum of the American Indian</a> where we had lunch at our favorite cafe. We zoomed through the museum kind of quickly, as our time to escape the city before rush hour was quickly slipping away.<br /><br />We were able to see the introductory movie this trip, though, which is well worth seeing if you're ever there. They do a great job of connecting the present and the past, debunking the still pervasive myth that Native people's and their culture are a thing of the past. One of the kids' favorite parts of the museum and a do not miss is the contact room with all the gold artifacts and weaponry. Sam picked out his favorite revolver, Em got a shot off with an old long rifle, but Jules apparently goes for the heavy fire!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R7136_S9NdI/AAAAAAAAAok/txxjEvqndeI/s1600-h/IMG_0708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R7136_S9NdI/AAAAAAAAAok/txxjEvqndeI/s200/IMG_0708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169419802598258130" border="0" /></a>Later that month we also took a trip down to <a href="http://www.luraycaverns.com/">Luray Caverns</a>, in Virginia, which was a neat follow up to the Smithsonian trip, as we got to see some rock and mineral formations up close. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R714PvS9NeI/AAAAAAAAAos/DJyZudVxB2w/s1600-h/IMG_0711.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R714PvS9NeI/AAAAAAAAAos/DJyZudVxB2w/s200/IMG_0711.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169420159080543714" border="0" /></a> We'd been to the caverns a few years back, but the kids didn't really remember it and were awed anew.<br /><br />There are several really stunning moments in the caverns: the reflecting lake is gorgeous, and the stalactite organ is really cool and amazing to hear. The kids were especially taken with the organ. They did not, however, like experiencing total cave darkness—that pretty much freaked them out, as did the legend of Neptune's ghost, a specific formation in the caverns. But they loved, loved, loved the wishing well and being able to rub the "fried eggs" for good luck, the only formation they were allowed to touch.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-88212077909878720882008-01-30T17:35:00.001-05:002008-12-10T05:38:43.046-05:00Making ButterThis month we made butter for the first time. It was easy and loads of fun to watch whipped cream turn into butter. As it whips past the stiff peaks it gradually takes on a yellowy color, and just when you think it will never go to butter, BAM! In the blink of an eye, all the buttermilk falls out and voila! Butter. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D77VR2RrI/AAAAAAAAAm8/eGrsm3AXGuI/s1600-h/IMG_2596.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D77VR2RrI/AAAAAAAAAm8/eGrsm3AXGuI/s200/IMG_2596.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161402169709446834" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D8k1R2RsI/AAAAAAAAAnE/Fc5OuvuhDpo/s1600-h/IMG_2597.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D8k1R2RsI/AAAAAAAAAnE/Fc5OuvuhDpo/s200/IMG_2597.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161402882674017986" /></a><br /><br />Once the butter has formed, simply drain off the buttermilk, and rinse the butter well under water, kneading it to remove any remaining buttermilk, which could cause it to turn rancid.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D81FR2RtI/AAAAAAAAAnM/PmHOzZhtXg4/s1600-h/IMG_2599.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R6D81FR2RtI/AAAAAAAAAnM/PmHOzZhtXg4/s200/IMG_2599.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161403161846892242" /></a>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-86648171725846388742007-12-30T12:25:00.000-05:002008-12-10T05:38:44.131-05:00Gingerbread Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fVTOJUifI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/2azCMR9gX6k/s1600-h/IMG_0904.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fVTOJUifI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/2azCMR9gX6k/s200/IMG_0904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149819225112873458" border="0" /></a>This is what our kitchen looked like Sunday before Christmas. And pretty much on Monday, too... and not much different on Christmas day. This year, the kids were way into baking, even more than last year, and Jules even made the pizzelles all by herself from start to finish. Em and Sam are working on our baking center—a part of the counter a few inches lower than the rest, making it easy to roll out dough with leverage and having the added advantage of being perfect kid height. Yes, Em decided to get in the baking spirit by dressing in her colonial attire. She does love to be in character.<br /><br />This year, we added gingerbread houses to our repertoire, something we've been wanting to do for a couple of years, but never quite found the time. Once she heard this, our generous friend <a href="http://barn-raising.blogspot.com/">Madeline</a> insisted we borrow her stoneware gingerbread mold since they would be away over the holidays. (We've considered holding it hostage to get them to visit in the spring, but that wouldn't be very nice, would it?) It took all day Christmas eve to bake enough pieces for three gingerbread houses. By evening, they were cool enough to begin to assemble.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fVkuJUigI/AAAAAAAAAiY/PNGCWaD8SiM/s1600-h/IMG_0907.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fVkuJUigI/AAAAAAAAAiY/PNGCWaD8SiM/s200/IMG_0907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149819525760584194" border="0" /></a><br />We cut down some egg cartons to place in the middle of the house, giving us some structure to work against. Before dinner, we made some royal icing and glued the houses together, giving them plenty of time to dry before decorating. By the time we were done eating, everything was set to go. The kids had a blast, and we all decided that this was the perfect way to wile away Christmas eve—it gave us all something to focus on besides just the anticipation of Christmas morning!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fV1uJUihI/AAAAAAAAAig/lizAKY-UVcg/s1600-h/IMG_0911.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fV1uJUihI/AAAAAAAAAig/lizAKY-UVcg/s200/IMG_0911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149819817818360338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fWE-JUiiI/AAAAAAAAAio/vmmzU5SPcgU/s1600-h/IMG_0913.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fWE-JUiiI/AAAAAAAAAio/vmmzU5SPcgU/s200/IMG_0913.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149820079811365410" border="0" /></a>Everyone had fun eating and decorating, and by the time we were done, Sam decided we should make a gingerbread house for <span style="font-weight: bold;">every</span> holiday occasion, already making plans for his Valentine's house.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fYWuJUijI/AAAAAAAAAiw/yYcjoLkcd3w/s1600-h/IMG_0944.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3fYWuJUijI/AAAAAAAAAiw/yYcjoLkcd3w/s200/IMG_0944.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149822583777298994" border="0" /></a>Of course, the next day (note the sleep mask from Santa) the girls decided that their houses weren't quite done after all, and they spent another afternoon decorating, this time with colored royal icing for garland and windows.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3faHeJUikI/AAAAAAAAAi4/oR1wm3vLQt0/s1600-h/IMG_0947.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R3faHeJUikI/AAAAAAAAAi4/oR1wm3vLQt0/s200/IMG_0947.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149824520807549506" border="0" /></a>The finished products from left to right: Julia's house, Em's house, and Sam's house. I'm looking forward to making a Halloween house next year&mdash;yet another wonderful idea of Madeline's.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499896.post-35563482301704508532007-12-16T18:52:00.001-05:002008-12-10T05:38:44.965-05:00My friend Madeline<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W6kOJUiOI/AAAAAAAAAf4/qWv51DV5YHI/s1600-h/IMG_0788.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W6kOJUiOI/AAAAAAAAAf4/qWv51DV5YHI/s200/IMG_0788.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144723280775907554" border="0" /></a>After we left Williamsburg, we headed down south to Georgia where my unschooling friend <a href="http://barn-raising.blogspot.com/">Madeline</a> lives with her amazing organic-farmer husband, Nicolas, and her two fantastically adorable and impressive sons. We drove 9 hours just to get there, and I woke up at 5:15 am to get us out of the hotel and to her place at a decent hour. And every bit of it was worth the effort!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W8luJUiPI/AAAAAAAAAgA/1F2elk5Ymvs/s1600-h/IMG_0825.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W8luJUiPI/AAAAAAAAAgA/1F2elk5Ymvs/s200/IMG_0825.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144725505568966898" border="0" /></a>We had so much fun and felt so welcome in their wonderful home that we really didn't want to leave when the time came to drive up to the Lovejoy's for a house concert with <a href="http://www.myspace.com/amysteinberg">Amy Steinberg</a>. I think that's why we dilly-dallied so long, lingering over these amazingly moist pancakes that Gillen made for everyone. Gillen was an amazing cook, totally comfortable in the kitchen, and he and Julia bonded over chocolate and baking for Madeline's birthday (though I hear he does that with all the girls).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W9XuJUiQI/AAAAAAAAAgI/JhQrx73Bd5U/s1600-h/IMG_0790.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W9XuJUiQI/AAAAAAAAAgI/JhQrx73Bd5U/s200/IMG_0790.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144726364562426114" border="0" /></a>That afternoon we enjoyed a lovely visit to their farm where we took a nice hike out to a beautiful meadow and field of quartz crystals. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W-suJUiRI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/LcI2Fqje_do/s1600-h/IMG_0819.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2W-suJUiRI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/LcI2Fqje_do/s200/IMG_0819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144727824851306770" border="0" /></a>The kids had a blast playing "predator," a combination of tag and hide-and-seek through the tall grass. We lucked out that there were no hunters on the property that day, considering it's deer season. Along the hike we got to see a beaver dam and the habitat they're creating in the woods. Crystal hunting was such fun, kind of like being on a geology dig, especially after our recent trip to the Smithsonian rocks and gems collection and Luray caverns (more on those trips later). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2XBb-JUiSI/AAAAAAAAAgY/M_04ZnQUmic/s1600-h/IMG_0822.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OflU6wtHtiE/R2XBb-JUiSI/AAAAAAAAAgY/M_04ZnQUmic/s200/IMG_0822.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144730835623381282" border="0" /></a>I kept finding these amazingly perfect small crystals that looked bizarrely like teeth from a crystal monster. I kept envisioning this giant mouth full of crystal teeth along the lines of the abominable snow man or something.<br /><br />We had a perfectly relaxing, beautiful day with everyone, and luckily we were all smart enough to go to sleep far earlier than we had the night before. The worst part about the whole visit was having to bully them into letting me help, though Nicolas was pretty much a push-over in that arena. I would have stayed and helped him at the farm all day if I could have—hopefully without botching the job too badly along the way. Next time maybe I'll have Jim along with me for a trip to my mom's place, and I'll get to do just that. Though if he'd have seen their hunting set up, he would've been itching to be out doing that! (For the record, I do believe Gillen is at present the only hunter in their family—see another great evil way to get Gillen to push for a trip up here in the spring!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.com5